Rinne, 31, underwent major hip surgery during the summer and returned to play just nine games before being hit with a serious bacterial infection, which has sidelined him indefinitely.

The Preds have been extremely cautious with his rehabilitation, pushing back a number of timetables and set dates to ensure the hip recovers fully and without issue. That said, the Preds announced last week that Rinne was cleared for the next stage in his recovery — weight-bearing exercises — and that they were “encouraged” by his progress.

Rinne wasn’t selected to represent Finland at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, meaning he’ll have the Feb. 9-25 break as time to rehab without missing any games. Nashville has 11 games remaining until the break, and Poile said they’ll soon decide which goalie — Carter Hutton or Marek Mazanec — will serve as Dubnyk’s backup.